I learned a lot of stuff about Australia while visiting Sydney and the Hunter Valley this past week for the 25th annual ACA Stanley Awards. Here are some highlights:
Koalas may look cuddly but they have big F%$#% claws and will scalp you if you bother them.
What in the U.S. is the turn signal lever in the steering column of cars is instead the windshield wiper control in Australia.
Cars driving down the road on a dry, sunny day with their windshield wipers going are being driven by American/European tourists.
Australia is brimming with fantastic caricature artists.
I was honored to be the presenter of the 2009 Stan Cross award for “Best Caricaturist” at the Stanleys. I can tell you in must have been a tough choice for the members, because every one of the nominees was outstanding and I saw many other terrific caricaturists that didn’t even get nominated.
Many cartoonists here that do publication work also do live caricatures, so there was plenty of live drawing going on. In fact, they had a little contest during the Stanley Award dinner for “Best Caricature of the Night” where yours truly was the subject, and the winner was the 2009 ACA Cartoonist of the Year Peter Broelman. Sadly I only got a handful of the drawings of me done for that to bring home. Here are two I managed to grab:
Me by Luke Watson
Me by Paul “Harv” Harvey
Here are just a few of the tremendous caricature artist talents I saw and met here in Oz:
Peter Broelman- Gold Stanley winner and one of those guys who can do it all.
Many other terrific artists either didn’t have websites to link to or I didn’t really get to meet them or see much work outside the ones in the “yearbook”, so this list is VERY incomplete.
I also got the opportunity to meet a true legend in the caricature world: Tony Rafty.
Me and the legendary Tony Rafty
Tony started drawing caricatures while working as a caddy during the Great Depression. In World War II he was a war artist/journalist for the Australian Army. He became known for his sports caricatures (although he does politicians, celebrities, etc. as well) , having drawn virtually every major pro athlete (especially golfers) in the 20th century and working at every Olympic games from 1948 in London to 1996 in Atlanta (where I coincidentally was doing live caricatures at my booth at Underground Atlanta at the same time). His work has been exhibited worldwide and he has had over 15,000 caricatures published in newspapers and magazines. It was a true honor to get to meet him.
The most impressive thing about Tony? After my little caricature workshop we walked out on to Darling Harbor and drew in the hot sun, and this 94 year old man stood there IN A SUIT AND TIE and drew one after the other.
Unbelievable. What a treasure he is.
Here’s the quick one he did of me in Darling Harbour:
If I can draw half that well standing out in the summer sun holding a pad of paper and a pen in under 10 minutes at age 94 then that would be saying something. Go read this great article on this caricature legend.
Its amazing how quickly the cynics come out when something like what happened with the “Bobble Rep” app last week takes place. While the vast majority of people I have heard and read comments from are supportive of the app and our trouble with Apple, a few have come out of the woodwork to malign and cast stones at myself and app developer Ray Griggs. Most of these people are woefully uniformed and guilty of the usual crime of the internet serial commenter… that being not bothering to read the entire story but casting judgment based on a headline.
So, here are some of the misconceptions and downright totally wrong conclusions drawn by a few ignorant folks:
1. You should have contacted Apple directly to resolve this issue and get your app reviewed. It’s obvious you were waiting for the rejection to launch a massive publicity stunt.
Apple does not have a review process for an app rejection. There is no one to call, write to or inquire for further details or to “argue” your case. You are simply told you are “rejected” with an e-mail citing one of the rules (which you might very well not think applies at all to you) and are told to change whatever YOU think is the problem and then resubmit the app again fresh. That is one of the most frustrating things about the App Store’s approval process.
There was no calculation or plan on our part for any publicity. We were truly shocked at the app’s rejection. Ray wrote me saying he had no recourse. I wrote this innocent little rant on my insignificant personal blog, and posted a few links to it on some cartoonist’s forums I frequent. That’s it. I did not send it out to dozens of media outlets or promote the story any further. The rest happened on it’s own.
2. This whole thing was done as a stunt to make more money with the app. Your motivations are pure greed.
Again, see above as to the facts concerning the spread of this story and why it clearly was not a calculated publicity stunt.
I have no financial stake in this app at all. I was paid up front for my artwork. It does not matter to my bank account one bit if this app sells one or one million copies. I was simply enraged that the app itself was rejected based on some idea my artwork was “ridiculing” the public figures it depicted. Also after doing 540 caricatures I wanted to see the app in action. That simple.
3. Apple rejected the app because of the caricature of Nancy Pelosi, and her husband owns a lot of Apple stock… plus Apple is a flamingly liberal company and is biased against conservatives such as yourself.
Although I have no proof the Nancy Pelosi caricature was not part of Apple’s problem with the app, there is ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF or even any suggestion that it is. The Pelosi image was one of several images sent to Apple, as was the one of John McCain and several others. The one image Apple cited in the letter as being representational of the “issue” is this one:
As you can see, no Pelosi. Apple has given zero indications that Pelosi had anything to do with it. Personally I think its a major stretch to attach the name of any single politician or party as being a cause in the original decision… after all Apple has shown they stay away from basically ANY politically charged app, be it a left or right wing vehicle.
The caricatures of the dems and the reps are even handed and no party is given better or worse treatment, nor is there any editorial commentary (although I was tempted a few times). The entire app is completely non-partisan.
Finally, while Ray Griggs is a conservative and his upcoming documentary “I Want Your Money” is decidedly right wing, the app in no way publicizes that fact. Also for the record politically I am a liberal in general.
4. Your caricatures suck.
No argument there.
Those are the major points I’ve seen addressed on various comment boards. These are the facts. By the way Bobble Rep has been as high at 37th highest ranked paid app on the App Store list, currently at #52. Ray thanks you for that, as he DOES have a decidedly financial stake in the app.
This week’s sketch is in honor of our trip to Australia… I did this little gag drawing in a number of sketchbooks when at the Stanleys. Marker/pen on sketch paper.
I was honored and privileged to be invited to beautiful Sydney, Australia to be a guest speaker at the Australian Cartoonists Association‘s 25th annual Stanley Awards this past weekend.
The ACA is the Aussie equivalent of the National Cartoonists Society in the U.S., and in fact is an even older organization having grown from the original Australian Black and White Artist’s Club formed back in 1924. Australia is brimming with fantastic talent in the cartooning field… so much of the work I saw there was absolutely top notch. I was humbled to be asked to be a speaker at their event this year.
The Stanley Awards, much like the NCS Reuben Awards, is an annual event celebrating excellence in the cartooning profession, and culminates in an awards banquet where a number of artists are honored by nominations and awards in multiple categories. Also like the Reubens, that is only part of the whole event.
The Stanleys encompass the better part of a three day weekend, and features several guest speakers, panels and workshops as well as social activities that lead up to the awards dinner.
Friday, Nov. 13th-
Things kicked off on Friday with the opening of a terrific cartoon art show featuring members of the ACA which was exhibited at the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) television building.
At the ABC Studios for the Art Show
Upon our return to the Novotel Darling Harbour hotel, the day continued with a series of presentations:
Ward O’Neil- Ward reviewed his long and storied career. A highly respected cartoonist and illustrator, Ward is a three time Walkley award winner for illustration in 1982, 1984 and 1986. He is currently working at the Australian Financial Review.
Pran Kumar- Known as “the Walt Disney of India”, Pran discussed the history and current state of comics in India, including his own work. Fascinating presentation.
Panel Discussion- Cartooning on the International Stage, featuring Pran, and Jim Bridges and Rolf Heimann, recently returned from a visit to China. They talked about cartooning and comics as it pertains to the rest of the world, and Rolf had a lot to say about the struggles of Chinese cartoonists with their oppressive government.
Following these presentations was the main event. Guest of honor Pat Oliphant, the legendary political cartoonist and a transplanted native Aussie living in the United States since 1964. Pat’s presentation was a guided Q & A and he told many stories about his long and distinguished career as well as sharing details about his process and approach to editorial cartooning.
Pat Oliphant does some drawing during his presentation. You can see a video
of him doing this recreation of a controversial cartoon here.
That evening the group took a cruise around the harbour aboard a double decker cruise ship, and enjoyed appetizers (“entrees” in Australian) and cocktails under the shadow of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
The Lovely Anna and me on the harbour cruise
Saturday, Nov. 14th-
Following the business meeting, it was time for my presentation. I had been given a lot of time to do both a presentation and conduct a mini workshop on caricature. Only a few people fell asleep, so I did better than usual!
Following my presentation we all went into the beautiful Darling Harbour wharf and drew caricatures of each other and passersby while enjoying sandwiches (no Vegemite) and soft drinks.
The afternoon program commenced back at the Novotel:
Panel Discussion- The theme: “Getting To Grips With A New PM” featured cartoonists Sean Leahy (Courier-Mail, Queensland), Phil Somerville (freelance) and Peter Broelman (freelance) discussing how they’ve coped with drawing a new PM (and new US President) for the first time in a decade.
David Sprod- Unfortunately Michael Janze, the U.S. cartoonist and animator, was unable to make the tr-p due to some error in his flight arrangements and was not there to do his eagerly awaited presentation. However David gamely filled in. David is the nephew of the late George Sprod, an Australian cartoonist who might be best known for the work he did in the British magazine Punch. David, who has curated an exhibit of George’s work, talked about the career of his late uncle.
That night was the 2009 Stanley Awards banquet. Held in the Syndey Convention and Exhibition Center in Darling Harbour, the banquet room commanded fantastic views of the harbour and featured an entertaining evening of music and fun. Emceed by Aussie television personality Jean Kittison, the awards ceremony was non-stop laughs.
Me and The Lovely Anna all dressed up
Of course, the main reason for the entire event was the honoring of the well-deserving cartoonists in six different categories. Here are the categories and the nominees with the recipient of the “Bronze Stanley” for each in bold:
Illustrator
Anton Emdin
George Haddon
Alan Moir
Simon Schneider
John Tiedemann
Graphic Media Artist
David Allen
David Follett
Chris Kelly
Simon Kneebone
Brett Lethbridge
Comic Strip
Jason Chatfield
Gary Clark
David Follett
Alex Hallatt
Alan Salisbury
Single Gag Cartoonist
Matt Golding
John Kudelka
Reg Lynch
Neil Matterson
Andrew Weldon
Caricaturist
Matt Adams
Peter Broelman
Judy Nadin
David Rowe
John Spooner
Political Cartoonist
Peter Broelman
Rod Emmerson
Alan Moir
David Pope
David Rowe
Illustration winner Anton Emdin and me
The Lovely Anna, Pat Oliphant and me
The ACA Also honored Norman Hetherington with the Jim Russell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Cartooning. Norman had a long running Aussie TV show called “Mr. Squiggle” where he drew cartoons via a marionette by the same name for over 40 years to the delight of generations of Australian children. It was a delight to see him so honored.
Finally the big award, the Gold Stanley for “Cartoonist of the Year” was awarded. This is the Aussie equivalent of the Reuben award. And the 2009 Gold Stanley went to:
Peter Broelman
Peter is an outstanding cartoonist, illustrator, caricaturist, editorial cartoonist and all around great guy as well. Wonderful to see him take home this prestigious award… especially considering the immense talents that Australia has to offer.
The Lovely Anna and I had a great time. ACA President Jules Faber, Secretary Grant Brown, Treasurer Kerry-Anne Brown, Deputy- President Jason Chatfield, Membership Secretary Peter Broelman, the rest of the board and all the members of the ACA treated us like family and made us feel very welcome. A great organization full of great people. Congratulations to all the nominees and recipients.
Q: With your recent “Bo Confidential” project, and in light of the new MAD Magazine business model, have you considered personal pet projects for development under the MADumbrella?
A: Yes I have. While things have changed (and are still changing) at MAD there is an unspoken rule that any regular contributor to the magazine can approach the powers-that-be and pitch ideas for things like books and they would be given due consideration. Likewise the publishers that have handled publication of other MAD books like Watson-Guphill will give a good look at any book project from a MAD artist or writer. Of course, that doesn’t mean they will agree to publish it, but they will definitely give it some attention.
I had considered pitching my upcoming “how to draw caricatures” book to them and have it published under the MAD trademark, or try to publish it via one of the established publishing house, but I am now leaning towards self publishing it mainly because I want it out by the summer and that would not happen taking the traditional route.
I also have a few ideas for books exploring some of MAD‘s history.
Every once and awhile I get people asking me when I’m going to publish a “The Art of Tom Richmond” book. I have to tell you I think self publishing a book like that is incredibly narcissistic unless you have a body of work that is lengthy and established enough to really warrant such a collection, and if you have such a body of work an established publisher should jump at the chance to publish a retrospective of your career so there is no need to self publish. I feel I am still many years away from being at that point with my work. In the event I ever get there, I would probably try to have it published under the MAD trademark if for no other reason than to avoid the legal entanglements of including work from MAD in the book.
Thanks toKevin Richlin for the question. If you have a question you want answered for the mailbag about cartooning, illustration, MAD Magazine, caricature or similar, e-mail me and I’ll try and answer it here!
Bobble Rep, the iPhone app conceived and produced by Ray Griggs and featuring my caricatures of all 540 members of the 111th U.S. Congress was APPROVED by Apple late last night and is now available on iTunes for the low, low price of 99 cents (cheap). This after my innocent little blog post of a few days ago caught fire and was picked up by major news outlets and high traffic tech blogs.
Apple came to its senses yesterday and approved the app. You have to wonder how much of the decision was based on the press covered and image hit Apple had taken, and how much of it was simply that some overworked approval person rubber stamped it as a reject. My less cynical side is hoping for the latter, but I am pretty sure any reconsideration at all was facilitated by the many responses and support of people on the internet who were dumbstruck that such an innocent and innocuous app would be determined “defamatory” to the members of congress we depicted.
Regardless, it’s now approved and you can check it out on iTunes. Thanks to everyone for the support, and thanks to Apple for taking the time to give it another look and see that their initial rejection was unwarranted!
I’m currently in Sydney, Australia for the 2009 Stanley Awards for the Australian Cartoonists Association. Just got back from the awards ceremony itself.
Australia has a rich history of cartooning and has some incredible talent. The ACA is a terrific organization and the people here have made us feel very welcome. I did a presentation and a caricature workshop on Saturday, and attended several other panels and presentations as well. Very nicely organized and some great speakers.
The main speaker of the weekend was Pat Oliphant, the influential and brilliant political cartoonist who was born and raised in Australia but had lived and worked in the U.S. for decades. I will do a more complete post covering the weekend’s events later, but int he meantiem here is a short video of part of Pat’s talk, where he recreates a cartoon that he said was one of the most controversial he’d done:
Here is a look at the two pieces I have in MAD this issue:
MAD 20- Gates Vs. Crowley
Everybody remembers the big deal that was made out of “Beer Summit” this summer, when Obama invited Harvard professor Henry Gates and Cambridge police Sergent James Crowley to the White House and had a beer with them and Joe Biden on a patio table on the lawn. More was made out of that than the event that led to their invitation: when Crowley and other police officers arrested Gates on charges of disorderly conduct when he was confronted by the officers when he and his driver were trying to force open the jammed front door of HIS OWN HOUSE.
MAD has this one listed as Dumb Thing #4, and the concept was an “Ultimate Fighting” style poster:
Click image for a closer look…
This was a rare opportunity for me to do a little more painted style of art for MAD. Here are some close ups:
Board Game Movies
The other piece I did was a piece about movies based on board games, which was precipitated by Universal Picture’s plans to film six movies based on Hasbro games. These are some of the images, see if you can guess the board games they are meant to mimic (shouldn’t be too hard):
I used my colored line technique on these, doing caricatures of the actors that are supposed to be starring in each film. The piece was written by Jacob Lambert.
See the rest of them and the finished “USC” (Ultimate Stereotyping Challenge) poster in MAD #502!!
Here’s a close up of the glove… note the familiar jewels!!
MAD # 502 (January 2010)
Cover (Mark Fredrickson)
The Fundalini Pages (Glenn LeLievre, Desmond Devlin, Kevin Pope, Darren Johnson, Scott Nickel, Jeff Kruse, Bob Staake, Mark Fredrickson, Ryan Pagelow, Tom Bunk, Dick DeBartolo, John Caldwell, Farley Katz, )
The MAD 20- The Dumbest People, Events and Things of 2009
The Canonization of Michael Jackson (Mark Stutzman)
Corporate Bailouts (Hermann Mejia)
Jon and Kate Plus 8 (Jack Syracuse)
Henry Gates Arrested in Own Home (Tom Richmond)
Dick Cheney Won’t Shut Up (Jeff Kruse)
Angry Town Hall Meetings (Jeff Kruse, Richard Williams)
MAD Fold-in (Al Jaffee)
Caught with his Worldwide Pants Down (Uncredited)
Baseball’s Ongoing Scandal (Scott Bricher)
The Octomom (Gary Hallgren, Carl Peterson)
Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme (Jeff Kruse)
Minnesota Senate Race (Roberto Parada)
Glenn Beck (Mort Drucker)
Chris Brown Assaults Rihanna (Uncredited)
Obama’s Senate Seat Four Sale (Drew Friedman)
Kanye West (Hermann Mejia)
Cheating Celebs (Sam Viviano)
Alaska Loses its Governor (Jacob Lambert, J. Scott Campbell, Nei Ruffino)
Michael Phelps Smokes Pot (Uncredited)
Michael Jackson’s Doctor (Uncredited)
MAD 20 Addendumb (Uncredited… but that’s Sam Viviano’s work)
The Sergio Aragonés 2010 Calendar (Sergio Aragonés)
Monroe and… The Job (Anthony Barbieri, Tom Fowler, Carl Peterson)
Planet Tad!!!!! (Tim Carvell)
Spy vs Spy (Peter Kuper)
Board Game-Based Movies We’ll Soon Be Seeing (Jacob Lambert, Tom Richmond)
A MAD Look at The Great Recession (Sergio Aragonés, Tom Luth)
The MAD Vault- 1988 (Various)
What the Heck is the Difference (Uncredited)
Drawn Out Dramas (Sergio Aragonés)
I have two pieces in this issue, one in the “MAD 20″ and the other a two pager called “Board Game-Based Movies We’ll Soon Be Seeing”. Sneak peeks coming tomorrow.
So what are you waiting for? Go out and buy a copy, clod!
I have to cheat this week and post a sketch for a recent poster job instead of doing one in the sketchbook. The assignment here was to draw a scene showing a lady butting in line at the grocery store but having the man getting pushed back in line only mildly exasperated by it. The intent is to show that getting bent out of shape over something is not the best way to do things… unless you are trying to get attention for a rejected iPhone app, then in works like a charm.
